After sending the message, Chi Qingwei realized how childish she was being and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. What was she even doing?
On the other end, Shen Zuofeng had been delayed by someone else needing her attention. When she finally sat back down and picked up her phone, she saw not only the earlier message but also a photo. The meal in the container was well-balanced with both meat and vegetables, and the presentation was appealing. Perhaps combined with Chi Qingwei’s skillful photography, it looked especially tempting, making Shen Zuofeng feel a little dissatisfied with her own lunch.
“Yours looks so much more delicious than mine. I almost don’t want to eat mine anymore,” Shen Zuofeng replied, biting her lip.
“Wasting food isn’t a good habit,” came the reply, followed by a raised-eyebrow emoji.
“Alright, to avoid waste, I’ll finish it,” she sent back, adding a helpless emoji.
“Okay, let’s eat lunch now and stop looking at our phones.”
Shen Zuofeng raised an eyebrow and replied with a simple “Okay.”
Putting down her phone, Shen Zuofeng couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across her face. She could sense that Chi Qingwei didn’t dislike her. Even knowing Shen Zuofeng had feelings for her, Chi Qingwei still treated her this way didn’t that mean there was still a chance?
Time flew by, and soon Shen Zuofeng was on her way to Jiangyang City. Since Jiangyang wasn’t far from Huaicheng, Ning Wenjing drove her there for the business trip. Originally, she had considered bringing Cai Meilin along, but remembering that Cai had plans to celebrate an anniversary with her girlfriend that evening, Shen Zuofeng didn’t want to be the one to ruin their romantic evening. In the end, she chose Ning Wenjing, who had accompanied her once before.
“Boss, you should rest for a bit. I’ll wake you when we arrive,” Ning Wenjing said considerately, noticing the fatigue on Shen Zuofeng’s face.
Shen Zuofeng thought about it. Although the distance wasn’t far, it was still a considerable journey. Since she hadn’t rested at noon while rushing to finish her work and was accustomed to an afternoon nap, her head was already feeling a bit tight. She closed her eyes to rest.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Not at all, not at all! We have autopilot!” Ning Wenjing quickly waved her hands.
Shen Zuofeng chuckled softly with her eyes closed. What a silly girl.
By the time they arrived at the hotel in Jiangyang City, representatives from Dom Clothing were already waiting. As soon as Shen Zuofeng stepped out of the car, they approached her.
“Hello, President Shen. I’m Wang Xiao, the manager of the marketing department. General Manager Zhao instructed me to wait here for you. We’ve reserved a private room at the Calante Hotel to welcome you, we sincerely hope you’ll honor us with your presence!” The man was accompanied by two others, who echoed his words and emphasized their earnest invitation.
Shen Zuofeng shook hands with Wang Xiao, but their cheerful demeanor did little to lift her spirits. Instead, she felt this was likely a carefully arranged “banquet of treachery.”
“Alright, please wait a moment. We’ll just drop our luggage in our rooms first.”
Shen Zuofeng wasn’t in the best mood. Although the journey wasn’t long, it had taken nearly four hours. It was already past six in the evening, and they hadn’t even settled in properly before the other party had already planned the next step.
There was no other choice. After storing their belongings, Shen Zuofeng brought Ning Wenjing along to the Calante Hotel. The hotel’s decor was luxurious, and as soon as she entered, Shen Zuofeng was nearly blinded by the opulent and brightly lit interior.
The lighting was a bit too intense.
Upon entering the private room, the first person Shen Zuofeng saw was Zhao Haisheng, the general manager of Dom, seated inside. Besides him, there were another man and two women, along with the three who had guided them there. Altogether, there were seven people from Dom.
“General Manager Zhao, long time no see,” Shen Zuofeng said with a polite, light smile, stepping forward to greet him.
“Hahaha, General Manager Shen, it really has been a while! You’re still as beautiful as ever!” Zhao Haisheng looked delighted, his round belly resembling a four-month pregnancy quivering with his laughter.
“You flatter me, General Manager Zhao,” Shen Zuofeng replied, withdrawing her hand from his thick, fleshy palms. She then turned to the others with a smile and asked, “I’m afraid I don’t know how to address the rest of you yet.”
“Haha, let me introduce them then. I assume you already know Wang Xiao and the other two, so I won’t go into detail. This is Liu Yao, manager of our design department, Li Yuanyuan, and Qian Xili.”
“Nice to meet you, General Manager Shen.”
“Nice to meet you, General Manager Shen.”
They all stood up to greet her, and the room instantly buzzed with lively chatter.
“Nice to meet you all.”
Shen Zuofeng was pulled by Zhao Haisheng to sit beside him. Glancing at the alcohol laid out on the table, she knew this meeting wasn’t going to be easy.
“General Manager Zhao, you know why we’re here. The price was already agreed upon before, but now you’re suddenly asking for an increase. This…”
Before Shen Zuofeng could finish, Zhao Haisheng cut her off with a hearty laugh. “General Manager Shen, you’re too hasty. We’ve just sat down and haven’t even had a drink yet. Business is best discussed after eating and drinking, don’t you think?”
“That’s right, that’s right. General Manager Shen must be hungry after traveling such a long way. Let’s have some food and drinks first. We can talk business later,” Wang Xiao chimed in enthusiastically. He stood up, poured himself a full glass of liquor, then approached Shen Zuofeng and filled her glass as well. Raising his glass, he said, “I’ve always heard General Manager Zhao praise your beauty, saying you’re practically heaven-sent. Now that I’ve seen you in person, I can confirm his words are true. Since this is our first meeting, let me propose a toast to you!”
“You’re too kind, Manager Wang. I’m well aware of my own limitations,” Shen Zuofeng replied, standing up and raising her glass. Without hesitation, she downed the entire cup of strong liquor in one go.
Ning Wenjing, who was standing nearby, watched with concern as her boss drank a full glass on an empty stomach. She wanted to step in and shield Shen Zuofeng from the drinking, but she was immediately intercepted by the other two women, who kept her so busy with toasts that she could barely manage herself.
“General Manager Shen, what impressive drinking capacity! Let me propose a toast to you. Since it’s our first meeting, I hope we can work well together in the future!” Liu Yao stood up, raised his glass, and drained it in one go, then turned the cup upside down to show not a drop remained.
“Heh, Manager Liu, you’re quite the enthusiast,” Shen Zuofeng said with a nod. Seeing their attitude, she realized that if she didn’t drink, there would be no point in discussing business. Since they wanted to drink, she would match them drink for drink.
Let’s see who can outlast whom.
“Excellent!”
Zhao Haisheng cheered and applauded. “General Manager Shen, you truly are full of surprises. I’ll drink to you and wish you continued success in your career!”
“In that case, I must also propose a toast to you, General Manager Zhao. I’ll need your support in the future as well,” Shen Zuofeng said, pouring herself another glass. The sharp, spicy liquor slid down her throat and into her stomach, igniting a burning sensation.
In less than ten minutes since entering the room, she had already downed three glasses of high-proof liquor.
Shen Zuofeng never expected to encounter such drinking culture in an ABO world. It just goes to show that no matter which world you’re in, certain types of people will always exist, regardless of cultural context.
After downing three glasses of liquor, she finally managed to sit down and pick up her chopsticks to eat something.
“President Shen, since I wasn’t sure about your preferences, I just ordered a few random dishes. If they don’t suit your taste, we can always order more!” Zhao Haisheng leaned back casually in his chair.
“It’s fine, I can eat anything,” Shen Zuofeng replied, though in truth, the food was a bit too heavy for her palate. She simply didn’t want to cause any more trouble over this matter.
“Glad to hear it! By the way, it’s been so long since we last met have you found your omega yet?” Zhao Haisheng asked with enthusiasm.
“President Zhao, how could you even ask that? With President Shen’s status and looks, finding an omega would be a piece of cake!” Wang Xiao chimed in.
Shen Zuofeng’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before she chuckled lightly, as if nothing were amiss. “Not at all. No omega would ever take a liking to someone like me.”
“How could that be?” Zhao Haisheng waved his hand dismissively, his expression full of disbelief.
“If President Shen says so, then take a look at these two, they’re both omegas. If you’re interested in either of them, I’d be happy to play matchmaker!” Liu Yao grinned, pointing at the two women who were still plying Ning Wenjing with drinks.
Hearing their manager’s words, the two women immediately turned their attention to Shen Zuofeng, batting their eyelashes one after another. The strong scent of their pheromones began to permeate the private room.
The other alphas in the room started breathing heavily upon smelling the pheromones, and one even loosened his tie.
“Manager Liu, you jest,” Shen Zuofeng said, turning her gaze to Ning Wenjing, who was already drunk and disoriented. Her heart sank as she remembered that Ning Wenjing was still just an intern, fresh out of college, unaccustomed to such situations and lacking the tolerance for alcohol.
“Ladies, please go easy on her. My assistant has a low tolerance for alcohol. If she drinks any more, I’ll have to take care of her later.”
“If she can’t drink, then how about you join us instead, President Shen?” Li Yuanyuan stood up, picked up her glass, and walked over to Shen Zuofeng, attempting to lean against her.
She had heard that Shen Zuofeng from Future Technology was a top-tier alpha. She had never experienced what a top-tier alpha was like before, and just the sight of Shen Zuofeng was already so captivating she could only imagine how intoxicating it would be to actually taste her. At the thought, a flicker of desire crossed her face.
The drinking continued back and forth, yet no one broached the actual topic at hand.
“President Zhao, we’ve had enough to drink. Let’s discuss the pricing issue now. Your company’s sudden price hike caught us off guard. As you know, we’ve already signed the contract, so raising the price now is unreasonable, isn’t it?” Shen Zuofeng said.
Zhao Haisheng, seated at the head of the table, narrowed his eyes at Shen Zuofeng, then glanced at his subordinates, who were already somewhat intoxicated. He felt a surge of frustration, how could this woman drink like a bottomless pit? Glass after glass, and her face barely showed a hint of redness.
“President Shen, you must understand that the cost of raw materials has gone up. We have no choice in the matter,” Zhao Haisheng feigned helplessness.
Shen Zuofeng sneered inwardly. Raw material prices had gone up? Since when? Zhao Haisheng was clearly just looking for trouble.
Due to the popularity of Sword Quest Chronicles, people developed a strong interest in the costumes of the characters in the story. Noticing this, Shen Zuofeng thought, “If we could produce these costumes, wouldn’t it be a way to promote traditional clothing culture in this ABO world?”
Inspired by this idea, she initiated a vote on whether to bring the costumes to life. The results were overwhelmingly in favor, with a large number of people supporting the initiative. Following this, Shen Zuofeng compared several clothing companies known for their quality work and ultimately selected Domu Garments. After negotiating the pricing and other details, they launched a pre-sale online. The pre-sale’s success exceeded even her expectations, but it was a welcome outcome.
However, no one expected a “Cheng Yaojin” to appear halfway through, an unforeseen complication.